Earning electrician salary depends on the type of work you do as an electrician. A lot of individuals think that all of us electricians are one and the same. However, this is not the case. Indeed, that we deal with electricity, but they differ in the complexity of our jobs. Some may work on big electrical systems, while others may only be limited to residential projects.

Our Role As Contractors

An electrical contractor, such as me, refers to an individual or a company that provides electrical services to homes and business companies. We supply the workforce and materials to carry out these services. However, we all need to have a license in order to operate legitimately.

If an electrical contractor is hesitant to show any license, chances are that they didn’t pass license exams, or don’t have the proper documents to operate.

Different Electrician Areas

Contractors are divided into three major categories according to the complexity of our work. The more advanced, the higher the pay we receive.

A line contractor plays an important role in maintaining high voltage transmissions and distribution lines. They carry out entire infrastructure and transmission jobs to bring electricity from the power plant to the substations before they are distributed to homes and businesses.

Inside contractors, on the other hand, are responsible for handling electrical system maintenance as well as providing all the necessary electrical services for residential and commercial establishments. Their primary task is to provide and manage the design, setup, and maintenance of the system needed by these structures.

Integrated Building System, or IBS contractors, deal with low voltage installations that involve telecommunications, fiber optics system, climate control, as well as an entire wireless network device that is required for efficient usage.

Electrician Salary

Another factor that contributes to the electrician’s salary is our level of experience. An electrician apprenticeship salary may go from $20,000 to $22,000 per year. A journeyman electrician salary could be $27,000 to $37,000 per year for commercial electricians and $50,000 to $62,000 per year for industrial electricians. Meanwhile, a union electrician salary could go as much as $60,000 to $70,000 per year.

Though the figures are quite high on the mentioned electricians, the highest paid electrician yet is the master electrician, earning more than $70,000 per year. This type of electrician has gone through numerous steps before they could reach the ultimate electrician license.

Join An Apprenticeship Program Today

Whichever electrician that you might want to be in the future, you will still get a high salary pay. However, before you could become an electrician, you must first take an electrical course from your local college or trade school. Once you have earned the prescribed number of hours, you will earn a diploma and could start working as an apprentice.

To further advance your license as an electrician, you must comply some of the requirements. These requirements may vary from one state to another. Regardless, once you have all the requirements needed to advance your license, you can now reap the benefits of being an electrician.

If you’re interested in building an electrical career in the automotive industry, auto electrician courses are just exactly the type of training you need to learn the skills needed to succeed in this field. As an automotive electrician student, you will get specialized training that involves the installation, repair, maintenance and diagnostics of all electronic devices in a vehicle. You will also learn how to properly and safely wire them.

Since automobiles nowadays have a very complex electrical system built into them, these courses are what you need exactly to help you understand the electrical fundamentals and circuitry found in automobiles. You will also learn about control devices and circuit protection as well as relays and variable resistors. You will also receive training on all electrical aspects of an automobile such as the battery, ignition devices, fuel injection systems, alternators, anti-lock braking systems, and even the transmissions.

So How Long Does The Course Last?

As there are various types of courses available and each course basically focuses on a specific area, the length of these courses can vary depending on various factors. Comprehensive electrician courses often last longer but upon completion of the course, you will earn an associate’s degree. For the best learning experience, be sure that you choose a college that specializes in automotive electronics. If you don’t have time to attend a local college, there are many online courses available too. A high school diploma is almost always required to enroll in any of these courses. Some colleges might even require you to have some form of automotive training at a vocational or trade school.

Once you have been accepted and enrolled in the course, you want to make sure that your classes seriously and study the materials given to you. Teachers are there to help you so make sure that you seek help from them when you have trouble understanding any parts of the course. Once you have finished your training program, your education doesn’t come to an end yet. You will still need to work as an apprentice under a professional electrician in the auto industry to get your hands-on training so that you apply what you’ve learned at school to good use. During the apprenticeship period, you will be taught various crucial skills as well as useful tricks of the trade from people who are already experts in the field.

An apprenticeship is also a great way to get into the industry as you will get the opportunity to meet people who are working in the industry as well as make a few acquaintances that can have a positive impact on your career. If you excel at your apprenticeship, you might even be given a full-time position when you have finished your training. Be sure to treat everyone with respect and they might even put in a good word for you.

When you have finished your apprenticeship, you will need to pass an exam to receive your license before you can be considered a full-fledged electrician who is qualified to work in the auto industry. Once you are recognized as a licensed and professional electrician, you can either offer your expertise by working for the automotive companies in the industry, or start your own business… The choices are yours to make!

Conclusions

As you can see, before you can work as a professional auto electrician, you need to go through various courses first. Although this may seem like a lot of work, the rewards will be far greater as there will be a lot of electrician job opportunities waiting for you in the automotive industry. Be sure to take advantage of your apprenticeship training as you can really gain a lot of wisdom from your mentor which you will later need to succeed in this line of business.

Don’t have time to attend a normal electrician course at a college or travel to a technical institute? No worries because with the convenience of the internet, you can now enroll in various online electrician courses and enjoy the comfort of studying yours from home.

This is particularly perfect for those who already have a job or are working part-time because you won’t have to give up your job just to study a course. By enrolling in an online course, you will be able to keep your current job and use your spare time to further your education.

The Benefits Of Online Electrician Courses

The best thing about online courses, in general, is that you can set your own study hours and you won’t have to rush to school every time and worry about being late. Although an online course will give you to freedom of studying at your own pace, it is very important that you have the necessary self-discipline to study and complete your education. This is very important because, without discipline, you will have a hard time finding the motivation to study your course material and eventually you won’t be able to finish the course or pass your exams. It is also important to note that before you can be qualified for any electrician courses, you need to be at least 18 years old and have at least a high school diploma or a G.E.D to prove your education background.

Another cool thing about taking online courses is that you will be able to save quite a lot of money on traveling as well as the replacement costs for wear and tear if you have a vehicle. With the prices of gas or petrol nowadays, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how much savings you can enjoy in a month. Traveling back and forth to a college also takes time. Wouldn’t you rather be spending your precious time doing something else?

Conclusions

Some people have the misconception that online courses are not credible as the diploma or certificate you get might not be accredited or recognized. Since you’re learning a vocational trade skill, the most important part of your training will be during your apprenticeship years. For the classroom part, you just need to find a credible online school that will prepare you the same way as any offline college would in terms of classroom hours and exams. While you get to study from the comfort of your home, you will still need to take your practical exams at a local college near you. Nevertheless, online courses will always be cheaper, more convenient and flexible than normal college courses.

Most online electrician courses will basically teach you the basics of electricity to prepare you to work in the electrical world. There are also other courses that will teach you how to run your own electrician business so that you can choose to work for yourself or start your own electrician company when you have finished your education. Be sure to choose one that is suitable for your schedule and make sure that you’re willing to commit a few hours a day to study before enrolling in any course.